Google Makes Second Security Acquisition With Purchase Of Postini

from the g-secure dept

The incumbent security vendors thought they were experiencing their worst nightmare when Microsoft made moves to expand its presence in their market. Their troubles look set to compound, as Google is now aggressively ratcheting up its security-related business. In May, Google announced the acquisition of GreenBorder Technologies, a maker of anti-virus and anti-spyware technology. Today, the company announced that it would acquire Postini, in the hopes of adding a deeper layer of security to its burgeoning Google Apps business. Seeing as security concerns have always been one of the reasons that businesses have cited for not embracing on-demand software, the move makes a lot of sense for Google. Its own applications notwithstanding, Google's entry into this space is logical. No company has better knowledge of what's on the internet than Google, and as more and more security threats are web-borne, Google's position makes it a natural player in this market. If Google continues to expand in this area, it'll be interesting to see whether its competitors wave the antitrust stick at it. If companies like Symantec and others feel that Microsoft is making it hard for third parties to secure its software, it's going to be even harder for a third party wishing to secure Google's online apps.